RICHARDSON EXPRESSES CONCERN OVER COMBINING PANEL; THOMASON SAYS ETHICS WILL REMAIN A TOP ISSUE

JEFFERSON CITY - A Republican legislator from Southeast Missouri says he is concerned that the House of Representatives is sending the wrong signal to citizens by combining its ethics committee with another panel.

"I feel there is a potentially long-range effect on the public's perception of this body and that we are not placing enough emphasis on ethics," said the legislator, Rep. Mark Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff. "I feel we should leave ethics in a stand-alone committee."

Under approved House rules that include committees for this session the ethics panel is shifted to the Judiciary Committee. Richardson complained that the judiciary committee already has a high volume of work to get done and ethics will be only a second thought of the group.

"Under this change, ethics will be reviewed by a committee that historically has been nearly all lawyers," said Richardson. "I feel ethics should be dealt with by a cross-section of people, not just lawyers.

"Besides, what do lawyers know about ethics?" said Richardson, himself a lawyer who serves on the new ethics and judiciary committee.

"The message that could go out is the House doesn't care about ethics anymore and is delegating it to a bunch of lawyers."

The second-term representative said it would be easier for him to accept the consolidation if it was part of an overall plan to reduce the number of committees; however, there is only one less House committee than there was in the last session.

Richardson offered an amendment to the House rules to keep ethics separate; however, the amendment was defeated on a party-line vote. Votes along party lines on proposed House-rule changes are common.

But Rep. Larry Thomason, D-Kennett, the Democratic whip, maintained that Richardson and other Republicans have nothing to worry about. He contended the change in the committee reflects a change in state law, not a disregard for ethics by House members.

"I think the bottom line is some people forgot that as of the first of the year we entered a new era on ethics," said Thomason. "We will soon have a new ethics commission in the state that is separate and independent from the House and the Senate."

"Why appoint a committee that has such a diminished capacity?" asked Thomason. "I think Speaker (Bob) Griffin did the right thing in proposing the change."

In past years the ethics committee investigated situations where members were accused of crimes; now the ethics commission will do that.

Thomason said there may be instances where the House will be involved, such as when there may be a violation of House rules that is not a violation of state law or the ethics commission guidelines.

Asked whether there would be a public perception that the House was downplaying ethics, Thomason said, "That's what some misinformed people would have you say we were saying, but that's just not the case.

"Ethics is the foundation of our job," said Thomason. "If the public can't believe and trust in us, we've let everyone down. This change does not make any comment about whether ethics is important because everyone understands that ethics are fundamental.

"How can anybody argue that we have endorsed lax ethics. With the new ethics commission we put in place last year, most ethics investigations are independent from this body," said Thomason.

Richardson argued that lawyers, by nature of their work, are sometimes more likely to be accused of ethics violations. That makes it more important to have a group other than just lawyers involved overseeing ethics, he said.

"But I'll accept the wisdom of this body; if they feel lawyers ought to do this, then appoint a committee for ethics of mainly lawyers," said Richardson. "But don't make ethics an afterthought to the judiciary committee members.

"If they want an ethics committee of lawyers, I'll be proud to serve."

By comparison Richardson said the new rules call for a separate committee on workers' compensation, making it separate from the committee on insurance.

Richardson said he supports the special focus on workers' compensation because it is one of the state's most pressing problems. "It says to the people of Missouri it is important enough of an issue to be a stand-alone committee," Richardson said. "But, if we are saying workers' comp is so important to stand alone, what are we saying to them when we say ethics is not?" said Richardson.

Thomason said the party-line vote on Richardson's amendment was about rules, not ethics.

"It doesn't have anything to do with anything except rules," said Thomason. "Republicans always like to make a nice stand on the rules. It was no big deal."